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Murray's Sunday List: Top 10 to play for Reno Aces

Murray's Sunday List: Top 10 to play for Reno Aces

Every Sunday, Reno Gazette-Journal sports columnist Chris Murray will count down a top-10 list. This week's list counts down his 10 best players to don a Reno Aces jersey (since we looked at the best opposing players to play at Greater Nevada Field last week). The list looks at the complete careers of each player rather than simply their production while playing for the Aces.

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The Sunday List

1. Eric Chávez

Last week's list of the top opposing players in the history of Greater Nevada
Field was loaded with stars. This week's list is loaded with journeymen like
Chavez. A league MVP or Cy Young winner has never played for the Aces, but
Chavez was above average for nearly a decade. Somehow, he never made an
All-Star team but won six Gold Gloves, a Silver Slugger, crushed 260 home runs
and tallied nearly 1,500 hits. His 39.1 WAR (wins above replacement player) is
the most of anybody to don an Aces jersey. Injuries put a dent in his career
but he was one of the best third basemen of the 2000s.

Photo credit: David Calvert/Reno Aces

The Sunday List

2. Mike Hampton

It was a quick stay for Hampton in Reno as he appeared in only four games (3.1
innings) in 2010. Hampton was the runner-up for the 1999 NL Cy Young when he
went 22-4 with a 2.90 ERA with the Astros, one of two seasons in which he was
an All-Star. Hampton had an excellent run with the Astros in the late 1990s
before signing an eight-year, $121 million contract with the Rockies, which is one
of the worst contracts in baseball history. The lefty was traded after two
years in Colorado (he posted a 5.75 ERA), but still managed 20.8 WAR (the most
for an Aces pitcher) in 16 seasons.

The Sunday List

3. Aaron Hill

A first-round pick in 2003, Hill played with the Aces in 2013 (six games on a
rehab stint). The still-active middle infielder is a .267 hitter with 152 home
runs. He's had some durability issues but was an All-Star in 2006 (103 runs, 36
homers, 108 RBIs, .286 BA) and also has two 26-homer seasons. Hill quietly has
26.1 WAR in his career and should squeeze out a couple more seasons before
retiring.

The Sunday List

4. Miguel Montero

The durable catcher played four games in Reno on a rehab assignment in 2010.
Montero played his first nine seasons in Arizona before being traded to the
Cubs prior to the 2015 season. He's a two-time All-Star - in 2011 and 2014 - with
113 homers and nearly 1,000 hits. He's an above-average defensive player who
has posted nearly 20 WAR in his decade-long career.

The Sunday List

5. Stephen Drew

Drew had two rehab stints in Reno (in 2009 and 2012) during his seven seasons
with the Diamondbacks, which drafted him in 2004. Drew never reached the level
many expected, but he's put in a decade of solid work in the big leagues. The middle
infielder won a World Series with the 2013 Red Sox and has more than 1,000
career hits. He has 21.3 career WAR but never made an All-Star team.

The Sunday List

6. Tony Clark

We're developing a theme here: Guys who barely played for the Aces. Clark
logged seven games in the team's inaugural season (2009). He was a 15-year big-league
vet who was an All-Star in 2001. His 251 home runs are the second most of
anybody to play for the Aces (behind Chávez). He had four 30-plus homer
seasons. Clark played for six teams but was at his peak with the Tigers,
hitting .277 with 156 homers over seven seasons. Clark is now the executive
director of MLB's Players Association.

The Sunday List

7. Randy Wolf

The veteran left-handed pitcher logged six games in Reno in 2014, posting a 5-1
record with a 4.50 ERA. That was the penultimate season of Wolf's career, which
spanned 16 big-league seasons. Wolf was at his peak with the Phillies and was
an All-Star in 2003. He was 133-125 in his career with a 4.24 ERA for eight
teams (the only team he spent more than three seasons with was the Phillies,
who he played on for eight seasons). Wolf's 19.5 career WAR is the second most
among Aces pitchers.

The Sunday List

8. A.J. Pollock

Arizona's first-round pick in 2007, Pollock is a rising star, although he broke
his elbow late in the exhibition season and will miss most of 2016. The center
fielder was a first-time All-Star last season and finished 14th in the MVP vote
after hitting .315 with 111 runs, 20 homers, 76 RBIs and 20 steals. He's
improved in all four of his big-league seasons and, if he returns healthy, should
rise up this list. Arizona traded Adam Eaton (in the honorable mentions) in
2013 to open up playing time for Pollock.

The Sunday List

9. Cody Ross

Ross
is an interesting case. He's played for eight teams, with only one stint
lasting more than two seasons. He's had a couple of huge seasons but has mostly
been league average for his career. He only has 10.4 WAR over 12 big-league years
but also was the MVP of the 2010 NLCS and helped lead the Giants to the World
Series title that year (he hit .294 with five homers and 10 extra-base hits in
those playoffs, his only postseason experience). He's also earned more than $50
million. Good career.

The Sunday List

10. Chris Young

This is Chris Young the outfielder rather than Chris Young the pitcher. Young
finished fourth in the NL Rookie of the Year voting in 2007 and was an All-Star
in 2010. He doesn't give you a lot of average (a career .235 hitter) but he's
been an above-average defender in center field and has good power (four years
with 20-plus homers, peaking at 32 as a rookie). Young has piled up 16.8 career
WAR.

Every Sunday, Reno Gazette-Journal sports columnist Chris Murray will count down a top-10 list. This week’s list counts down his 10 best players to don a Reno Aces jersey (since we looked at the best opposing players to play at Greater Nevada Field last week). The list looks at the complete careers of each player rather than simply their production while playing for the Aces.

(Editor's note: If you're using mobile and can't see the interactive, scroll to the bottom of the page and click "Full Site.")